Saudi Arabia allowed women to drive in 2017, it took that much time for women to be allowed to carry out such a basic task because we still are treated inferior.
I am writing this article in a bid to get women to be awake and be proactive in issues that affect us. This year Indian actor Akshay Kumar tackled a very sensitive issue in every woman’ s life when he produced the film Padman, a film that revolved around the sanitary wear women need every month. Sanitary pads are such a requirement for women but they are not offered for free by the government but rather condoms are found in every public outlet for free.
Another patriarchal matter that needs women to unite and fight for the free issuing of sanitary pads to every woman, because girls and women in rural areas at times fail to attend school when their monthly period comes, which basically disturbs her education because most women menstruate for close to 7 days.
This only means each term an average rural based girl who can not afford sanitary pads misses school for 21 days because she has to menstruate at home using dirty pieces of cloths in place of clean sanitary wear!
WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT THIS?
Statistics show that South American women are the world’ s most danger prone women in the world. Researchers highlight that women in countries such as Mexico, Honduras, Ecuador etc.. Are on a daily basis used as drug mules, child trafficking and forced prostitution. The legal systems in these countries are said to be non applicable to women. Thousand s of women are being trafficked on a daily basis with Zimbabwe having experienced a number of cases in the past year.
Our society has been failing women too long and still the government loosely campaigns by putting false empowerment promises for women. We are constantly fooled and bribed by men of power and believe that our day will come if we stay grounded but not anymore. Its time that as women we take back our power and show the world that we are strong and empowered. These are the days of a reckoning, you can take back your power by facing your demons head on!
I was reading an article on Huffington Post that highlighted that campus rape culture has increased over the years in universities in the US and UK and I though to myself, campus rape in Africa largely Zimbabwe is happening but I don’ t think young women in colleges and universities do not know that when your own boyfriend sleeps with you without your consent, you have been raped. I speak from experience of almost being raped by male friends in university. I was in that place where you could go crazy thinking if he had raped me who would believe it when I am the one who visited him in the first place. I believe as women we have the problem of shaming other women when they try and talk of their rape encounters especially relationship rape. Most if not all people believe it is impossible for your own boyfriend, husband or partner to rape you but yes all these forms of rape do exist.
So yes I said We have come a long way but the journey continues my dear sisters and to the brothers as well. As women we cannot shoulder or push for this world where we are respected as much as men are respected on tables where billion dollar deals go on. Let us be the women we were meant to be, give us wings and let us flutter in our beauty. Time is up like the Hollywood women movement is saying. Its amazing when men understand and lend a hand when we are trying to get rid of monsters like Harvey Weinstein, when men like Mark Wahlberg lent a hand to these movements we as women feel rejuvenated and determined more than ever to reach for the stars.
We can never solve every problem all at once but we can make it day by day taking baby steps to those points in life that we want to reach. I AM A WOMAN and I am not ashamed to be a mother who bravely carries new life for 9 months and takes care of it with love for the eternity of its life. Women are heroes who have been covered in ashes and not celebrated for too long. We live in a society that needs head strong women who are not afraid to take the hard path and come out victors on the other side. We have come a long way and we are still going on ………...